1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to exercising apparatus and more particularly to apparatus of the type wherein the exerciser exerts muscle effort against the weight of his own body.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
Various designs of portable, slant board type exercising apparatus have been suggested. For the most part, however, these devices have been quite large and very difficult to transport and store. For this reason, many of the previously available slant board type devices are of necessity made foldable or collapsible in some manner. Additionally, most involve large numbers of manufactured parts and include rather complex adjustment and folding mechanisms making them quite expensive. Representative of these types of apparatus are those described in the patents to Martucci, U.S. Pat. No. 3,892,404, and to Thiede, U.S. Pat. No. 3,658,327.
The drawbacks of the prior art devices are largely overcome by the apparatus of the present invention which is small, lightweight, and carefully designed to minimize the number of component parts which make up the apparatus. As will become apparent from the description which follows, the apparatus of the present invention is of an extremely clean design and embodies a most unique and simple means for adjusting the slope of the inclined track assembly.
Because of the compactness of the apparatus, it need not be folded or collapsed for transport or storage. The track assembly, carriage, and track elevation standard are operably interconnected so that the unit can conveniently be moved and stored in one place. Further, due to its small size, the apparatus can be used almost anywhere as, for example, in a small bedroom or office.
Applicant is familiar with the following additional prior art which represents the closest art known to applicant and which serves to illustrate the novelty of the apparatus of the present invention: Courtney - U.S. Pat. No. 2,676,015; Bosch - U.S. Pat. No. 2,783,045; Miller - U.S. Pat. No. 2,924,456; Delinger - U.S. Pat. No. 3,545,748; Schotte - U.S. Pat. No. 850,610 (French).